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Saturday, 21 June 2014

Etihad's A380 Cabins

United Arab Emirates carrier Etihad Airways unveiled the new cabins for its forthcoming aircraft last month to an army of reporters and journalists. The new premier cabins include nine first-class apartments and two three-room "residence" on its Airbus A380 which is scheduled to enter service in December this year.

Their are numerous innovations forming a mass premium product development the like of which is rarely seen in the aviation industry, especially over the last decade. The new cabins and enhancements will be rolled out on the airline's new A380s and Boeing 787s, which also start to arrive at the end of this year.

The residence, complete with a Savoy trained butler, and first-class apartments are elements of a dedicated premium offering in the upper deck of the A380s. The apartments for first class feature a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman which converts into a lie-flat bed.

The first-class apartments feature a reclining lounge chair and a lie-flat bed

First-class suites will be offered on the new 787s it has configured in three-class cabins – it is taking a mix of two- and three-class configurations – offering passengers an enhanced suite with a chilled mini-bar.

Both types will feature the new business studio concept, which offers fully flat beds. There are 70 business studios on Etihad's A380s and 28 on its 787s.

Etihad debuts its A380 at the end of this year on flights to London Heathrow, followed by Sydney and New York JFK. The 787s will be introduced on flights to Washington, Mumbai and Dusseldorf initially.

Emirates have already announced they plan to update and upgrade their premium cabins and services in response to Etihad's super luxurious cabin's. Whether there are enough customers to make such vast investments in the premium cabins worthwhile remains to be seen, however you cant argue with the fact that the gulf carriers are bringing true luxury to the skies.

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Meet the team

Jason Shaw.

Jason Shaw's love of the aviation industry started at a young age when he used to watch the whirlybirds of Bristow Helicopters coming and going from the garden of his Surrey childhood home. Since those days he's worked in a number of key areas within the aviation industry from airlines, travel agents, holiday companies and product selection to reporting on it for local radio and making video travel brochures.

Jason is also an experienced broadcaster, having presented on radio, television, corporate videos and video travel brochures. He's an avid writer and written a number of books, articles, features and reports. He also loves to travel and his favourite destinations include Port Douglas, Singapore and Copenhagen.

Joshua Jordan.

Josh loves to travel and has a passionate interest in the airline industry. He's worked in both travel and the media for a number of years. His voice can often be heard on Internet-based radio stations as well and the odd commercial! The destination he calls his favourite is - New York.

Adam Shaw

Adam is the youngest member of the team, no relation to Jason and like the rest of the team, he has a keen interest in airlines, aircraft and aviation. His favourite destination is Prague and has just started taking flying lessons.